Authentication of the 31 species of toxic and potent Chinese Materia medica (T/PCMM) by microscopic technique, part 1: three kinds of toxic and potent animal CMM.

Microscopic authentication is an effective method for quality control of Chinese Materia Medica (CMM) because of its speed, convenience and low cost. However, the application of modern microscopic technique in quality evaluation of Toxic and Potent Chinese Materia Medica (T/PCMM) of animal origin is seldom reported. This gap in published knowledge is increasingly serious because confusion in T/PCMM has led to serious medical problems in China and other countries in recent years. To ensure the safe and effective use of T/PCMM, an accurate and convenient method, based on macroscopic and microscopic techniques, was developed for the authentication of animal T/PCMM. The color microscopic photos of the crude drug were acquired with the light microscope, and from these their morphological and microscopic characters were described. The present method was successfully applied in the analysis of 31 T/PCMM including 17 samples originating from plants, 3 from animals, 9 from minerals, and the remaining 2 from secreta. The macro- and microscopic characters of three animal T/PCMM, namely Mylabris (Mylabris phalerata or Mylabris cichorii), Huechys (Huechys sanguinea), and Lytta (Lytta caraganae) were conclusively determined and are here presented. The results demonstrated that it was feasible to use the present microscopic characters for the authentication of the above three animal T/PCMM.